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G. A. CARLSON.

CURTAIN R00.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 2B, 1913.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEroE.

GUSTAF A. CARLSON, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASVSIGNOB. T0 THE BOYE, EEDLECOMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION GF ILLINOIS.

' CURTAIN-non.

To (Ml wlw/:L it may concern.'

Be it known that GU'sTar A. CARLSON, a citizen of Sweden, who has takenout irst papers for citizenship in the United States, residing atChicago, in the Icounty of Cook and State of Illinois, has invented anew and useful Improvement in Curtain-Rods, oi which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates particularly to Hexible curtain-rods,V orcurtain-rods provided with resilient flexible portions, such as arecommonly employed for saslrcurtains.

Curtain-rods of the type here referred to comprise close-wound springwire coils; and the primary object of the invention is to provide animproved connection between the close-wound spiral and a bracket which iis adapted to be mounted on the windown Jr'rain'e, or sash, as desired.

The invention is illustrated in its preferred embodiment in theaccompanying drawing, in which- Figure l represents a broken plan View,illustrating the manner in which the curtaina'od is mounted on aWindow-frame, or sash; Fig. 2, a broken elevational-view of the same;Fig. 3, an inner elevational view of the bracket employed in theconstruction shown in Figs. l and '2; Fig. 4, a frag mentary view of thecurtainrod and the ygripper element employed in connection therewith;Fig. 5, a sectional view of the parts illustra-ted in Fig. Il; Fig. 6, abroken elevational view showing a sash, or frame, equipped with abracket of modified form; and Fig. 7 ,ape'rspective view of the bracketshown in Fig. (i.

ln the construction illustrated, A represents a windowframe, or sash;and B, the improved curtain-rod applied thereto.

The device B comprises a close-wound wire-coil l; a pair oi brackets 2adapted to be mounted on the frame, or sash; and a pair ot grippersjoining the extremities of the coil l to the brackets The brackets 2 maybe ot' any approved form. As shown, each bracket comprises abase-portion 2 adapted to 'be secured to the frame, or sash, A, as bymeans of screws; and an arm 2 which is curved and provided with a loop2, which is formed by re-curving the endportion of the arm back andunder the body-portion, the extremity being indicated at 2d.v

The front wall of the loop 2 is provided Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Sept. 9, 1919.

with an enlarged opening fl which communicates with a reduced opening,or erforation, 4, in the end of the loop, tius forming What is, ineffect, a T-slot for the reception of the gripper member 3.

The gripper member 3 is in the nature of a pair of spring jaws 3a, whichare connected by a curved resilient web 3b. llhe gripper device may beformed from resilient sheetinetal, curved to form the ring 3l and thearms of the jaws. d The arms of the jaws are curved to affordsubstantially semi-cylindrical portions which embrace the end of thecoil l; and the extremities of the jaws are provided with inturnedflanges 3C which conform to the spiral of the coil l, so that thegripper member 3 may be turned upon the spiral, as a nut is turned upona screw. The semi-cylindrical portions of the gripper diverge somewhatin forming a junction with the ringportion 3", as indicmted at 3d. Thus,the ring-portion of the gripper is larger than the diameter' of theconcavo-convex gripper arms.y

Assuming the flexible rod l to be equipped at each end with one of thegrippers 3, the rod may be connected with the brack ets by introducingthe enlarged portion ot the gripper through the enlzu'ged opening al,and seating the concavo-convex arms of 85. the gripper. in' the roundedvsocket Il". Usually, the 'rod is made a little shorter than the spacebetween the brackets, so that the rod will be placed somewhat undertension. The effect that the coil tends to 90 draw the grippers throughthe sockets l", and the Walls of the socket, engaging the taperingportions 3d ot' the gripper arms, torce the jaws more securely intoengage ment with the convolutions of the coil.

lt is not essential to the invention that the rod l should be whollyconstructed of coiled wire. Usually piano steel wire is employed inmaking a spiral coil of this character, and it may be desirable to con-100 struct the rod with wire coils at its end p0rtions only, as shown inmy co-pending application No. 259,965, tiled of even date herewith.

ln Figs. 6 and?, tliere` is illustrated a 105 bracket 5, which isadapted to be applied either to the front face of. a frame A1, or tovthe inner edges of the side members of the frame, as illustrated inFign. rthis bracket comprises a base 5* adapted to be secured 11er tothel frame by means of screws; a Hange, or web 5", extending atright-angles to the base; and a iange 5 extending parallel with the baseand disposed over or above it, so` that the bracket is in eiect aU-shaped bracket. The. flange 5? is provided with an open socket 6,which communicates, through a slot 6, with a, socket 6b in the web 5*.Each of the sockets 6 and 61 is of the proper size to lengage theconcave-convex arms ot' the gripper device 3, and to hold the gripperdevice in the same manner as does the socket 4f of the bracket Q. Nhenthe bracket 5 .is applied to the sash, or frame, in the manner shown inthe upperY` portion of Fig. 6, the end-portion of the flexible rod maybe passed through the slot G and the gripper enter in the socket 6"; andwhen the bracket 5 is Vapplied in themanner shown in the lower portionof Fig. 6, the grippers 3 may be introducedl into the sockets (i ot' theflanges 5; the sockets G, in this case, serving to ,hold the grippers.

Freinv the description given, it will rbe understood'that the improveddevice comprises, in combination with' a iexible rodsection, aV gripperelementand a supporting bracket which has a socket for the gripperelement, which tends to hold the gripper closed when the rod is undertension. The

construction described is simple and incre pensive, and enables thecurtain-rod to be applied to and removed from the brackets with thegreatest facility.

It will be noted from Fig. i that the concavo-convex arms of thegripperwhich enibrace the end-portion of the coil, cover, when consideredtogether, considerably more than one-half of the circumference of thecoil, and the sloping portions 3d of the ring-portion oi the gripperlikewise cover more than a half portion of the circumference of thecoil. The purpose is to insure proper con tact between the slopinglportions of the gripper'and the walls of the socket, so that properengagement will be effected between the gripper and the socket,regardless oi angular rotation of the'gn-'ipper member within thesocket. This feature makes it nnneccssary to pay anyl attention to thematter of the angular rotation of the gripper within the socket, becauseot. the Slot which coinmunicates with the socket, inasmuch as the properWedging action will be secured in the socket regardless of the planeoccupied by the ring 3* of the gripper with relation to the slot leadingto the socket which engages the gripper.

The foregoingA detailed description has is attached to a frame.

halagos been given for clearncss of understanding only, and nounnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, but the appendedclaims should be construed as broadly as permissible, in view of theprior art.

What I regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Yatent, is:

l. in means of the character set forth, the combination oi" a 'bracketprovided with a socket, a coil-spring, and a gripper' engaging Vsaidsocket and having jaws engaging the coil-spring, the enga-gement betweensaid socket and gripper being` such as t0. tend to hold the jaws of thegripper in closed position.

:2. ln means of the character set forth, the combination of acoil-spring, a gripper having jaws engaging said spring and having anenlarged web-portion, and a bracket having a socket embracing theweb-portion of said gripper andtending to hold the jaws in closedposition.

3. ln means of the character set forth, the combination oi acoil-spring, a gripper comprising jaws and an enlarged resilient ringconnecting said jaws, and a bracket provided with a socket adapted toembrace said jaws and engage the ring-poition oi the gripper.

4. 1n means of the character set forth, the combination of acoil-spring, a gripper comprising pair of jaws and a resilientringconnect-ing said jaws, Vand a bracket provided with a socket adaptedto permit said jaws to extend therethrough, said bracket having anopening leading from said socket, which enables the gripper to beintroduced into the socket while the bracket In means ot'. the characterset tort-h, the combination ot a coil-spring, a gripper applied theretocomprising la pair of jaws and a ring connecting said jaws, and abracket comprising an arm provided with a loop having a socket in itsend-portion and having an enlarged opening .conmmnicating with saidsocket, Ywhereby the ring-portion of the gripper may-be introducedthrough said enlarged opening.

(5. In means oi the character set forth. a bracket comprising a baseflange equipped with means for attaclm'ient to a. frame, a webprojecting from said base flange and provided with a socket, and aflange extending from said web parallel with the base liange andprovided with a socket, said sockets being connected by a slot.

, GUSTAF A. CARLSON.

